


Between Blades of Grass

by witchbreaker



Series: The Grass Chunin Exams [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, fanfiception
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 20:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4850183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchbreaker/pseuds/witchbreaker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Muku's family is depending on him to win the Chunin Exam and firmly establish the power of Grass Fruit to their enemies and their allies. He was not expecting one girl from Leaf to completely up end that plan. </p><p>Based on Dreaming of Sunshine by Silver Queen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Between Blades of Grass

Muku spends the time leading up to the Chunin Exams surrounded by his clan. Grass Flower and Grass Fruit have both agreed to be civil to each other as long as the foreign ninja and clients are around. Neither side wants to shout to the world how close they are to a civil war. 

Really, Muku wished that Grass Flower would just give up already. They are not going to win since his clan is backing Grass Fruit. They are just tearing Kusa apart for no reason. 

Well, not no reason. The last few months Cloud has been threatening to go to war with Leaf even though Sand already tried that and failed. The Fourth Shinobi War seems to be on the horizon. He can see why they are arguing for opening The Box of Ultimate Bliss but he doesn’t think Kusa needs it.

How many times have they talked about his generation being the strongest they’ve seen in decades? How many times have people talked about the decay of the Great Villages since the end of the Third Shinobi War? Sand is a shadow of itself, Leaf never recovered from the loss of the Fourth Hokage, Mist has been in a civil war for years, and Rock still has holes in it from the defection of one of their best shinobi. Cloud hasn’t faced those problems but they can’t be as strong as they have been boasting if Leaf fended off their attacks. Grass doesn’t need to start a war with them in order to over take them. 

Muku shouldn’t be thinking about that. His mission for the next week is to win the tournament and cement Grass’s growing power. That is what his father keeps reminding him as the hours count down. Which is why he and his team have been stuck inside their housing. Grass Flower promised to be civil but they will take no chances. Besides, taking out opponents between Exams is not unheard of. It’s also why they get news of Mist-Sand-Leaf alliance second hand. 

“It doesn’t make sense. Why would they reveal this at our Chunin Exam?” Ryuuzetsu asks after the third Grass Fruit member confirms the rumor. 

“They may want to cement it as quickly as possible. Even Cloud could not take on them all.” 

“But their partnership can’t be more than a few months old. How can they trust each other by now? Sand invaded Leaf just last spring!” She has a point. If the alliance didn’t last long then each side would be much worse off then they were before. 

“This could be a good thing.” Muku’s mother argues. “We will not have to prepare for the Fourth Shinobi War if it holds.” 

“Or they could start it themselves.” Muku’s father retorts. “Together it would not be a question of who would win.” 

They go back and forth over this development. Other members of his clan join in as they try to decide what to do. In the end they agree that all they can do is watch them. The Chunin Exams are too important to risk. If Grass wins it might also reduce the significance of the alliance. Muku doesn’t need to be told that it is now more important than ever that he wins. 

(X)

“Begin!” The Jonin Commander calls out. Muku’s team heads out to find the first item immediately. Ryuuzetsu and Toji are skilled in that field. Numbers one through seven are found easily, eight requires some effort, and nine has them see their first fight. 

It’s a Cloud team surprisingly enough. They try to ambush them as they cross through an alley, but Ryuuzetsu had spotted them. The trap became useless once it was no longer a surprise. Muku took out the leader, Ryuuzetsu the one coming in behind, and Toji and Tatsuki the third. None of them are harmed and it’s easy to restrain the Cloud ninja. 

Ten through thirteen are picked up within an hour, fourteen takes them around the town twice before Ryuuzetsu realizes that the clue isn’t symbolic but literal, and fifteen through twenty are all in the same area. 

It’s the hidden test that poses a problem. 

“Any idea what the ‘token’ is?” Toji asks once they have deciphered the code in their list. 

“No.” Says Ryuuzetsu with a frown. 

“It must have something to do with the clients.” Muku says. “The whole Exam has been focused around them.”

“Do we have to ask them for it? Steal it? Negotiate for it?” Ryuuzetsu asks to the air. 

“I would say the last one. That is what the higher ranks do all the time.” Muku’s teammates stare at the clients moving around. Not all of them could possibly have a token. It would make things too easy and some of them had only arrived today. 

“Maybe if we walk around we’ll find someone we recognize.” Tatsuki suggests. 

“Sounds like a plan.” Ryuuzetsu says and Muku agrees. They head out. 

Crisscrossing the town, Muku spots one of his family’s allies at an outdoor restaurant. 

“Sesshomaru-san,” he calls out, catching the man’s attention. “How are you doing?”

“Ah, Muku-kun, I am well.” Says the man responsible for supplying Blood Prison’s food. “How goes the exam?” 

“Well. These are my teammates: Ryuuzetsu, Toji, and Tatsuki.” Muku waves to them. 

“Glad to meet you. Especially you, Ryuuzetsu-chan. Muku-kun talks about you all the time.” The pair glow pink as Muku protests.

“I do not!” 

“Oh? So there is some other Ryuuzetsu who will be one of the best fighters Grass has ever seen?” 

“Well, I, that’s true but…” Sesshomaru-san chuckles as Muku fails to find a good response. Toji and Tatsuki snicker.

“You are too easy,” Sesshomaru says before fishing something out of his pocket. “Here, take this as my apology.” 

“Thank you, sir.” Muku says and he slips the silver token into his pouch. 

“I hope you make it to the tournament. It will be nice to have someone to cheer for.” 

“Don’t worry, sir.” Ryuuzetsu says. “We will definitely be there.” 

The four bow and make their way back to the start. 

“Grass Flower was watching that.” Ryuuzetsu murmurs just loud enough for her teammates to hear. Muku frowns. Now the lack of the opposing sides presences makes sense. They must be hiding in the shadows, seeing who declares their support to Grass Flower or Grass Fruit via the tokens. The information they gather from that would serve them much better in the long run then trying to take his team out in the First Exam. 

Continuing that line of thought, this Exam is not just showing Grass’s internal alliances. He would not be surprised if both sides were using it to gauge relations between clients and other nations as well. Muku wonders if his clan is watching others or preparing to deal with what they discover today. 

Ryuuzetsu nudges him with her shoulder. 

“Cheer up, none of this will matter when we win the whole thing.” He smiles at her. 

“You are right.”

(X)

Muku ducks a volley of kunai and punches a Grass Flower member in the throat. Ryuuzetsu is right by his side; using her Fire Release to give them some breathing room. Whatever deal that their groups had struck has clearly been discarded. His team didn’t even have time to leave the starting point for the Second Exam before being attacked. 

Toji and Tatsuki tag-team another Grass Flower member as two Rock teams decide to get in on the action. Muku runs through hand seals as quickly as possible. 

“Fire Release: Demon Latern!” The Rock ninja are caught in the storm of fire balls that Muku controls with his mind. They all go down and don’t get back up. 

“Incoming!” Ryuuzetsu calls out. Muku hits the ground as a blast of water speeds past where his head had once been. Ryuuzetsu has already taken care of the caster by the time he gets back up. That’s good because Toji has let out a cry of pain. Muku spins around to find his teammate on the ground with a Grass Fruit member ready to deal a death blow. 

“Sealing Style: Fire Release: One Person Prison!” The jutsu hits just in time and the Genin faints. Unable to handle the sudden lack of chakra. “Toji! Are you okay?” 

“I’ll make it.” His teammate groans as blood spreads from his leg. A Leaf team tries to take advantage of the distraction but Muku takes them all down. Ryuuzetsu and Tatsuki manage to circle back to them. Tatsuki takes a look at Toji as they fight off the remaining ninja who stayed at the starting point. 

“A couple of broken ribs, a serious cut to his leg, and a concussion, I think.” She says as she attends to him. The fighting is over now. Ryuuzetsu goes through the belongings of the defeated ninja to find their cards while Muku watches their backs. 

“Any luck?” He asks when she is done.

“Well, two of them are in our the blue we need.” Ryuuzetsu says once they have stabilized Toji. “But they are a queen of hearts and a ten of hearts. The rest are useless.” 

“We can work with that.” It’s obvious now that they are suppose to collect a poker hand. The ten of spades they were given at the start will go well with the other ten. “Can you move Toji?”

“No, I’m sorry.” 

“That is okay. Tatsuki, stay here and watch him. Ryuuzetsu and I will get what we need.” 

“Are you sure you want to split up?” Tatsuki asked. Muku nodded. 

“We can get it done faster then and Toji needs medical attention.” He formed two bushin and henged them into Tatsuki and Toji. As he, Ryuuzetsu, and the clones headed out, Tatsuki started planting genjutsu on the field to disguise their presence. 

Ryuuzetsu and Muku hit the first team like a set of bricks. They are too short on time to be subtle and the Rock team in question did not do a particularly good at creating the trap that was suppose to ensnare their opponents. They take their card, a blue eight of spades, and move on. 

The next team is yellow, the team after that green, and the team after that red. Then they defeat a team that has already picked up several cards. They take all of them along with the blue ten of diamonds, ace of spades, and two of hearts.

On the way back they are ambushed twice. They take down another Leaf team and a Cloud team, but don’t bother to look through their pockets. They are the first team to get back and to be declared passing. 

It matters little though as apparently there is a preliminary Exam and those who have completed the Second Exam can not return to their housing to recover from that Exam before the latter has also finished. Toji doesn’t get worse as they wait, but Muku doesn’t like how pale he has become. 

“We could be related now.” Toji jokes. Muku sighs in exasperation. 

“Just try not to move will you?” 

“Yes, senpai.” 

Time crawls by, but five o’clock finally comes and the Second Exam is official over. The rules for the preliminary are stated, they have to play poker for their spots, and Tatsuki helps Toji to their table. Muku holds the cards while he tries to evaluate the others at the table. There are two Rock Teams and one team from Hidden Fog. 

Hidden Fog gets to go first and immediately place one chips into the center. Muku raise two chips and the only Rock answers. It turns out to be a good call since his three of a kind just barely beats their two pairs. The Rock teams mutter curses and threats under their breathe as the next hand is dealt. Muku goes first and swaps out three cards. He then bets two more chips before passing the turn. One Rock team folds, Fog calls, and the last Rock team dithers for at least a minute before also calling. 

“Straight,” Muku calls out as he lays down his cards. The Fog ninja holding the cards smiles. 

“Four of a kind.” He answers. Grass’s chips are removed from the table and they are done with the preliminaries. 

“I am sorry everyone.” Muku says as they walk away. He may have secured two places for Grass but he should have been able to get all four of them into the tournament. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Ryuuzetsu says Toji is whisked away by Grass medic-nins. 

“Grass is still in the Finals and that’s what matters.” Tatsuki adds. “You two will do great.” 

Muku swallows. He had not wanted to bring it up but there really was not another option. He and Ryuuzetsu were by far the stronger fighters though Tatsuki had trained hard for this Exam. Even if they agreed to give Tatsuki the spot, their families would overrule them. Tatsuki claps him on the back. 

“Don’t worry about me. Just kick everyone’s ass.” 

“Of course.” 

(X)

Father wakes him and Ryuuzetsu up at three in the morning on the day of the Finals. 

“The brackets have been decided.” He declares as he hands over the pieces of paper to his son. Ryuuzetsu peers over his shoulder to look at it. 

“I would have thought you would want me to face Gaara in the finals.” Muku says as he sees he is supposed to fight Sand’s jinchuriki in the third round. 

“That was the original plan, but Leaf getting so many of their members into the last round changes things.” Father admitted.

“The alliance too, I bet.” Ryuuzetsu wagered. 

“That as well. The first round will hopefully remove many of them from the competition.” Several of the alliance were paired up with each other and, while there were obviously a few throw-away matches, from the names the fighters seemed evenly matched. 

“Is that why I’m facing Haku first round?” 

“It was a concession to Grass Flower in order to make sure you and Muku were in different brackets.” Ryuuzetsu nodded. Grass Flower had not managed to get any of their Genin into the Finals and so of course they would try sabotage him and her chances of winning. If they both got to the Finals it would be a huge coup for Grass Fruit. 

“Here is our file on him,” Muku’s father pulls out an envelop. “Your Fire Release should be well suited to combat his Ice Release.” 

“What about my opponents?” Muku asks. Mui hands him four separate folders. The first are for Gaara of the Desert and Sasuke Uchiha, obviously his third and fourth round opponents. The last two are on Netsui of Cloud and Shikako Nara. Odd, because those two are fighting each other first round. “Why am I fighting these two?” 

“In all likely hood you will be fighting Shikako Nara. Netsui was paired with her to see if her combat skills are as great as they have been implied.” With that cryptic comment, Muku goes through Nara’s file. 

Leaf’s Jonin Commander’s daughter, twin sister to the Nara clan heir, graduated number one kuniochi from their academy, been a Genin for nine months. Muku does not see why his father is worried until he gets to her mission record. 

“Are we sure these are correct?” He asks, because what he is seeing is frankly ridiculous. Who gives a Genin that many A-Ranks in nine months? Which idiot assigns them an S-Rank!? 

“They are correct. Leaf had to turn over their basic records when they signed them up for our Chunin Exam.” 

“S-Rank?!” Ryuuzetsu echoes his skepticism. “Why on earth is she still a Genin if she has done S-Rank?” 

“We are not sure exactly what that S-Rank entailed.” His father said with a grimace. “According to our sources Sand was invaded by foreigners and Nara was part of the Leaf force that assisted them in repelling the invaders. Something happened out in the desert that both Sand and Leaf are keeping a tight lid on so we have no idea what actually the Leaf team was doing during that mission. She may have done S-Rank but our Rock sources have reported that Shikako Nara specializes in Interrogation. It could be that her team was tasked with gathering information from Sand’s prisoners because there was no else available. For her other missions, we have not been able to get sound information. We have heard everything from her coming back from the dead during one to her fighting a giant kitty cat in another.” 

“So, we do not know how good she is at combat.” 

“Thus her first fight is against Netsui. The Cloud kuniochi specializes in close combat. You should be able to see the extent of Nara’s fighting ability before you fight her.” Muku nods and goes back to the files. Ryuuzetsu sits on his left side as she goes over Haku’s. Father places two more files on the table and leaves them. 

(X)

The first round dawns bright and clear. Ryuuzetsu and him make their way down to the stadium shadowed by his father and a few clan members. The beauty of the day is not lost of him as he sits in the stands, waiting for the tournament to start. 

The first matches are Gaara of the Desert verse a kuniochi from Nadeshiko Village and Temari of Sand verse Omoi of Cloud. Both Sand ninja come out victorious, though Temari is somewhat worse for wear. A Cloud ninja and a Leaf ninja win their next respective brackets, meaning that it is now Muku’s turn. 

“Wish me luck?” He asks Ryuuzetsu as he heads out. 

“Of course.” She replies. 

Out of the field, Muku takes stalk of his opponent. It is a Rain ninja that specializes in ambush according to his file. The match it automatically against him from the start. There is no place to hide in this open field, nothing to dodge behind. If there is one thing Muku knows it is how to use this to his advantage. He is a Grass shinobi and they are always most dangerous when you can see them. 

“Start!” The referee calls out. The Rain shinobi launches, kunai in each hand. He is too slow to get to Muku before the later finishes his seals.

“Sealing Style: Fire Release: One Person Prison.” He says, hopefully not loud enough to carry. There is a possibility that Gaara and Nara do not know that he is from the Kantokusha Clan. His family name was kept out of the betting books and his clan does not have enough distinct marks to make them recognizable on sight like other clans. 

The technique hits and the Rain ninja collapses. Muku stays where he is as the referee comes over to check his opponent. He can feel his family jutsu running so there is no need to do anything else. Mubi is not going to get up. 

“Winner is Muku.” There is a small splattering of applause, but few people seem to be paying attention to his match. That is fine. He was not supposed to be showing off today. 

“Good match.” Ryuuzetsu says when he gets back to their seating. 

“Thank you.” 

A Leaf kuniochi takes out the remaining Rain ninja and it is time for Shikako Nara to fight. Muku watches the left side of the field as the two kuniochi square off. Nara did not look like a ninja who had completed an S-Rank mission. She has no particular features besides her long braid and family symbol on the back of her jacket. There is a pouch strapped to her thigh but otherwise no visible weapons. Standing across from Netsui she looks small. 

“Kuniochi like you make me sick.” Netsui says just loud enough to be heard in the stands. The trash talking takes Nara by surprise. It almost looks like the match is going to be over before it begins until Netsui seems to actually anger the Leaf ninja. Nara signals the referee to start the match.

“Go!” He calls out. Netsui launches forward as Nara pulls out a kunai. It is, in fact, a short match. 

“I guess Rock was right about her specializing in Interrogation.” Ryuuzetsu mutters as Nara has Netsui pinned in her clan’s jutsu and is verbally tearing her apart. Nara clearly does not take to being insulted well as she humiliates Netsui with the same air that his father has when he gets to slap down Grass Flower in public. She is precise, knowledgeable, and without remorse. Muku he thinks he can beat her. The full extent of her combat abilities is still unknown but she is prideful and he can use that to his advantage. 

Netsui finally forfeits and Muku turns his attention to the other field. The Leaf ninja is…cheering on his opponent as the tiny Mist kuniochi tries to land a hit on him. The green spandex man, gives a blinding grin when she almost succeeds. Literally blinding, it makes Muku squint from the stands. That match actually goes for the full allotted time. The Leaf ninja is declared victorious to no one’s surprise, but him lifting up the Mist kuniochi and giving her a piggy-back to the stands is. 

“Did that just happen?” Ryuuzetsu asks. 

“I believe so?” Muku says. Really, Leaf ninja are _strange._

Four Leaf ninja pass onto the next round. Oddly enough, Nara carries one of them back to the stadium from the medical tent. It is the Hyuuga heir who looks slightly embarrassed to be carried princess-style back to her group. The gentle way Nara places her into the center and hands her tea is completely at odds with the ruthlessness she had displayed earlier. Father taps his shoulder to return his attention to the arena. It is finally Ryuuzetsu’s turn to fight. 

“Good luck.” He says to her. She grins out him and goes down to the arena. 

Haku and her square off. The Mist shinobi bows to her and Ryuuzetsu returns the favor. 

“Start!” 

“Fire Release: Summer Fire Ball!” Ryuuzetsu opened with ninjutsu aimed directly for Haku. He blocked it and then disappeared. He reappears behind her from a sheet of ice almost invisible in the afternoon light. 

On instinct, Ryuuzetsu dodges to side and barely misses being filled with sebon. 

It becomes clear very quickly that Grass had made a serious mistake in pairing up her against Haku. His speed and ability to essentially teleport around the field mean that she can’t get close enough to use her taijutsu and the few large-area ninjutsus she has are rapidly draining her reserves. She singes him several times only to get an armful of needles in return. 

Well before the allotted time is over, Ryuuzetsu has to concede. As soon as the match is called, Muku is heading towards the medical tent. Ryuuzetsu had to be helped off the field because of all the metal in her legs and he needs to make sure she is alright. 

“I’m fine.” She says as soon as she sees him. 

“Is she?” He asks the medics attending her. They are Grass Fruit thankfully. 

“Her muscles will be weak for a few days but otherwise there will be no ill affects.” One answers as he pulls the sebon out. Muku hovers as they finish with her. He is aware that his father is standing behind him unhappy, but that is not important right now. Well, to him. 

“I’m sorry.” Ryuuzetsu says when she sees Father’s face. 

“It is not your fault.” Father says. “Haku is clearly not a Genin despite being new to Mist.” 

That does not improve her mood. They go back to their housing and she heads straight for her room. Muku makes a face and goes to get dinner for both of them. His mother is cooking tonight and Ryuuzetsu loves her food. Mother does not question why he wants two plates and lets him take them outside of the dining area without a fuss. 

“Ryuuzetsu?” He calls out when he gets to her door. “May I come in?”

“….Sure.” He opens the door to find her curled up on the bed, picking at her sheets. 

“I brought supper.” He says. She smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes. 

“Thanks but I’m not hungry.” 

“My mother made it.” Ryuuzetsu hesitates. He holds out a plate for her. 

“….Thank you.” She says around her first mouthful. 

“You are welcome.” He takes the chair and starts eating as well. They eat in silence until Ryuuzetsu is finished. 

“Did I do alright?”

“You fought well. Haku may have been in a different league but you showed that you were strong too.” 

“Okay.” Ryuuzetsu twirls her chopsticks around her plate. Putting his plate down, Muku summons some tiny flames. It is severely toned down Fire Release jutsu but he has no trouble controlling it. 

“You are going to burn this place down.” She murmurs. Muku guides one so that it bops her on the noise, dispersing in the process. Ryuuzetsu sneezes as it only tickles. 

“I think it is worth it.” She smiles a little at him as the flames drift in lazy circles. She reaches out for one and he places it on her hand. Watching the fire move back and forth a real smile forms on her face. 

“Thanks Muku.” He smiles back at her. 

“You are welcome.” 

(X)

Round Two of the Grass Chunin Final Exam is just as clear and bright as the previous day. Ryuuzetsu stayed behind because she was still feeling weak. As much as she wanted to cheer him on, they had both agreed that it was unwise to have an injured Grass Fruit member like her out in the open right now. 

His match is the third one today and Nara starts it with a bow. Muku responds in kind because it is only polite and readies himself for the signal to begin. 

“Go.” The referee called out. He started racing through his seals as Nara sent her shadow out to catch him. He stays in places as it attaches itself to his own shadow. It does not immediately stop his movements and that is all he needs. 

“Sealing Style: Fire Style: One Person Prison!” He calls out and uses her own technique to ensnare her chakra and seal it away. The look of disappointment on her face quickly changes to panic as she tries to cancel her jutsu and get away. It is too late however. For a second, she stands completely still, seals visible across her skin and then she collapses onto one knee. Hands are spread out on the ground to prop herself up. 

“You.” She gasps out. He is surprise that she is still conscience. He knows that some ninja can resist the urge to collapse when the seal is first applied but this is his first opponent that has been able to do so. He steps closer. 

“Still awake? You should surrender then. You won’t be able to use chakra until I release the seal. There is nothing you can do.” 

She does not surrender. Instead she moves faster than he would have though possible and kicks his legs out from under him before slamming one foot into his face. He stumbles backwards a little, there is not much power in her moves, and then gets back onto his feet. 

Nara has kunai out by the time he does and is throwing them with precision. He dodges and gets past her defense. He goes to pin her clearly dominant arm. He half has it when she pulls back, making him place weight on it. It’s not much, barely enough to keep her from sliding out of his grip. 

Her arm snaps like a twig. 

Nara cries out in pain, dropping the kunai held in that hand. His shock causes him to hesitate and once she is over her pain, Nara tries to back hand him with her good arm. He tosses her over his hip incredibly gently and she lets out another pained noise. Half curled up on the ground, she clutches her good arm and then looks up. 

“Are you prepared to surrender?” He is out of her reach now and not going to be taken by surprise again. She flashes him a smile that promises pain. 

“No.” Exploding off the ground, she proves that adrenaline can work wonders for even a chakra-less shinobi. He is ready for her however and her hits never meet their destination. She gets in one good move that pins something to his shirt. 

“Exploding tags?” He says as he tossed them aside. She has retreated to a safe distance like she thought that they would work. She must know nothing about his family jutsu. “You can’t even–“

They explode. 

Muku is injured in the blast as the impossible happens. His struggle to stay upright has more to do with his mind then his body. 

He can _feel_ his jutsu running, Nara should not be able to use chakra, yet the tags went off and you need to use chakra to set off the tags- 

He doesn’t get time to recover as she launches herself through the smoke and soon they are wrestling on the ground. He is at both an advantage and a disadvantage. On the one hand, Nara clearly knows little about grappling and so he is easily able to control their rolling around. On the other, her fragility means that he is constantly trying not to kill her with his moves and that makes him weaker. 

He is winning until Nara grabs her braid and tightens it around his neck. His throat squeezes shut at the pressure and now he is in trouble. He goes still in the hopes that she would think that he passed out but that was no help. Soon he is struggling for real, but he can’t get free. Nara might as well be glued to him. Darkness creeps into the edge of his vision and then he blacks out completely. 

(X)

He wakes up, not in the medical tent, but at his clan’s housing. His head hurts but otherwise he feels fine. 

“Muku!” Ryuuzetsu says as she leans over the bed. “Are you okay?” 

“I think so.” He says, sitting up. It’s a little dizzying but the feeling passes. Ryuuzetsu has apparently been sitting by his bed for only a little while if the lack of food or a book is any indication. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. All anyone would say is that you lost the match before they started panicking.” 

“Good, you are awake.” Muku’s second cousin says as he opens the door. “Get on your feet. The clan needs you.” 

“Give him a break!” Ryuuzetsu growls. 

“We don’t have time!” Renji hisses. “Get both of your asses moving!” 

Muku slides to his feet and with Ryuuzetsu’s help makes his way to the meeting room. Silencing seals must have been in effect because the shouting is only audible when Renji opens the door. 

“WE CANNOT KIDNAP A LEAF SHINOBI IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CHUNIN EXAMS!” Cries Mother. 

“WE DON’T HAVE A CHOICE!” Father’s brother, Minoku, yells back. “She broke are clan jutsu! We need to find out how!” 

“All it will causes is a free-for-all! A BLOOD BATH!” Grandfather Mushin shouts. “Our Village will be ruined!” 

“Flower probably already has her in their grasp with all the time we have wasted arguing over this!” A cousin, possibly Renki, buts in. Renji shoves Muku and Ryuuzetsu inside and closes the door. Despite all the noise, everyone apparently heard that and immediately turns towards them. 

“Muku!” His mother calls out. “What happened?” 

“How did she break it!?” Another voice asks. 

“What jutsu did she use!?” 

“Why didn’t you kill her!?” Everyone was clambering over each other until Father roars:

“ENOUGH!” The room went silent. “Muku, describe what happened during your match.” 

He did as he was told. Over and over and over as his brain was picked clean for any possible sign of how Shikako Nara had beaten their clan signature jutsu. 

“She did _NOT_ break it.” Muku insists. “It was active the whole match!” 

“That is not possible.” Minoku retorted. “She used exploding tags! We saw it!”

“I don’t know _how_ she used them, but the technique worked!” 

The whole conversation went on for hours until Muku was more drained from that then his match. Eventually, his clan decided that anything he knew was useless in the big picture and went back to arguing on what to do about Shikako Nara. Many were voting to kidnap her, others against that, and some to outright assassinate her while she was still in Grass and damn the consequences. 

The latter was dismissed because they needed to know how she had gotten around their jutsu and a body couldn’t tell them that. Muku is not sure how things came to this point. Grass is out of the running after only the second round, Grass Fruit was soundly beaten in front of everyone, and now it looks like the one thing that keeps the fight between them and Grass Flower firmly tilted in their favor is in jeopardy. 

Eventually, his parents dismiss him back to his room to rest while the clan continues to argue. He leans on Ryuuzetsu much more than he did before as they make the trip back. 

“Things are going to be okay.” She says. He doubts it. 

“I’m not sure how things could have gone worse.” 

“Neither of us are dead.” 

“That is not a high standard.” She jostles him as a rebuke. “Why are you trying to be so optimistic?” 

“Well, someone has to make sure you don’t mope around.” 

“I don’t mope.”

“Uhuh, right. And you’re pensive staring out the window is just you enjoying the weather.” 

“Yes.” That startles a laugh out of her and he smiles a little too. 

“We will figure out a way out of this.” Ryuuzetsu says as she eases him onto the bed. Muku breathes in and out and releases his fear so that it drifts away. 

“We will.” 

(x)

“The matches will start soon.” Ryuuzetsu says as she wakes him up. “Do you want to see them?” 

Muku nods. He might not have gotten much sleep but Nara is facing off against Gaara as the first match and he _needs_ to see how she fights when she has her chakra and a powerful opponent. Ryuuzetsu disappears for a moment so he can change in peace. The weakness from yesterday is gone and he can move around easily by himself. 

They get to the stadium just before the first match starts. Grass’s seating is empty so they sit there. Father and Mother joins them before long each looking unhappy. 

Nara is already down on the field, covered in scrolls. One is so big that she can only carry it on her back. Muku wishes she was not first so that he could talk to her. 

_How did you do it?_ He wants to ask. _How did you succeed where everyone else has failed?_

“Let’s have a good match.” She says. Reaffirming that Sand and Leaf stand side by side. Gaara nods and the match begins. 

Nara slams her giant scroll into the ground and then proves that she, didn’t in fact, break their clan jutsu. There is no way she could have broken it if _this_ is what she can do at full power. She completely changes the battlefield in an instant, she puts Gaara into a corner with a stunning combination of fuinjutsu, taijutsu, and cunning that leaves Muku breathless, and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. 

He can only stare in awe as Shikako Nara proves she was not given an S-Rank mission by accident. Muku knows sealing. He has studying the basics from all the styles that his family can get their hands on in order to master their Fire Sealing. He knows that the techniques that she is using aren’t ones that can be replicated by anyone. He would be hard pressed to even be able to attempted her first technique without at least a week worth of prep. 

The variety, the power, the knowledge that one must have in order to preform them. They all point to one thing. 

Leaf has a new Seal Master.  


Muku and Ryuuzetsu can feel the anxiety rise from his parents as the match goes on. They speak of Leaf’s last Seal Master with a mixture of awe, envy, and fear. The Fourth Hokage had been given ‘Flee On Sight’ orders from Rock with good reason. Shikako Nara is not at his level but the seeds are there. Dangerous seeds made even more terrifying with the knowledge that Nara has only been a Genin for nine months. 

When the entire arena explodes, Father wraps a hand around Muku’s shoulder to anchor himself. Muku raises his own and grips his Father’s. 

Nara looses only because her opponent is Gaara of the Desert. The match went on for almost an hour and the arena has been completely devastated. The jinchuriki gives both of them a lift back from the wreckage. As the Leafs wrap Nara into their group, Muku can see how exhausted she is. She can’t even keep her eyes open for the next match. 

Father disappears and Muku knows that decision about what to do about Shikako Nara has been made. 

(x)

“There was a kidnapping attempt.” Mother informs them as he and Ryuuzetsu kill time in their rooms. 

“By who?” Muku asks because the target is obvious. 

“Grass Flower. They didn’t take her far, which is both a blessing and a curse. They didn’t find out anything but Leaf is furious and Sand and Mist are backing them up.” 

“What about Rock and Cloud?” 

“Supporting us by saying there needs to be a through investigation before people start pointing fingers but it’s not going to do much good.” The silence that follows that is heavy. Leaf has been an actual ally since the Third Shinobi War. Their loss of support with the brewing civil war could do more damage to Grass then an outright attack. 

“Do we have anyone we can throw to them? Did one of the kidnappers survive?” Ryuuzetsu asks. 

“Fortunately, yes. I doubt it will satisfy Sharingan Kakashi but it might buy us some time. Until then you are not to leave the housing area. Not unless I or Father order you too.” 

“Do you think Leaf would come after us?” Muku asks. 

“I don’t know. But they know your faces and that you are Grass ninja. That maybe enough or someone may use it to cause a scene. Either way, sit tight and rest up.” She gives them both a hug and then vanishes. 

(x)

What follows is almost two days of boredom. They quickly go through every possible card game and way to cheat at it and since the outside is forbidden to them so they can’t properly train.

“Leaf is demanding we hand over the still alive Grass Flower guy to their interrogators.” Renji informs them. 

“We can’t do that.” Muku insists. “He might be Grass Flower but he is still a Jonin of Grass.” 

“I know, I’m pretty sure it’s front.” 

“But what for?” Ryuuzetsu demands. “The true kidnapper is dead and they know why she was targeted in the first place. What else do they want to gain?”

“I don’t know!” Renji snapped. “Maybe they just want to see us grovel! I don’t give a shit why those tree-huggers do what they do!” 

The rest of the information they get involving what is going on between nations is similar to that. It’s the day of the final match and they still haven’t heard anything more then hearsay. 

“At least you’re getting promoted.” Ryuuzetsu says as Father, Mother, Renji, Renki, and Minako guide them towards the stadium. The civilians don’t seem to notice the tense atmosphere but the ninja are certainly on high alert. Their group is watched with particular intensity as the move through town. 

“I guess.” Muku responds. Their arrival is just before the jackets are to be handed out. Which is good because the air between Cloud and Leaf feels like it is about to explode, but that is nothing compared to the stares that Leaf gives Grass. Muku would swear that the Uchiha is trying to set them on fire with his mind.

“Muku Kantokusha.” He steps forward and accepts his jacket. Ryuuzetsu isn't promoted but it doesn't seem to bother her. He smiles. The whole Chunin Exams might have been a disaster but he will finally be able to take missions outside of the Hozuki Castle and the village. His father had promised that when he made Chunin he would no longer be stuck at home, studying his family jutsu. He is one step closer to being able to creating a peaceful Grass. 

“Congratulations.” His mother says to him. “Let’s get you home so we can celebrate.” 

They agree and leave immediately. They aren’t the only ones with that idea as Leaf waits only until the ceremony is done before taking off. Sand and Mist linger, but that seems because they want to talk with each other. Muku watches the Leaf group disappear from sight and feels like he has forever missed his chance to ask Nara how she managed to fight him without chakra. 

“Are you coming?” Ryuuzetsu calls out as Muku realizes he had stopped walking with them. 

“Of course.” He turns back to his family and towards home.

**Author's Note:**

> Will be edited later. 
> 
> I am assuming that Muku's mom didn't die so Muku's father never joined Grass Flower and thus Muku was never sacrificed to the big box of evil. I will probably be proven wrong but that's what I got. 
> 
> This should probably be called 'In Which I Fell in Love with Two Characters I Know Nothing About and Now Ship Them So Hard.'


End file.
